Elastic exercising apparatus.



No. 760,374. PATENTED MAY 17, 1904.

T. BBLVOIR.

ELASTIC EXBRCISING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATIOH rmzn r23. :4. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 BEBETs-BHEBT 1. V

a a a y f I 0723:]. 67g. 2. .Wilneases' 0 12222122 No. 760,374. PATENTBD MAY 17, 1904.

V T. BELVOIR.

ELASTIG BXERGISING APPARATUS.

- I APPLICATION FILED ran. 24. 1903. no MODEL. 2 sums-sum 2.

lliineases or other suitable material.

UNITED STATES.

Patented May 17,1904.

PATENT OFFICE.-

ELASTIC EXERGISING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,374, dated May 1'7, 1904.

Application filed February 24, 1903. Serial No. 144,866. (No model.) I

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS BnLvoIR, a sub ject of the Kingof Great Britain, residing at Melrose, Springfield Road, New Southgate, in the county of Middlesex, England, have in-- vented a new and useful Elastic Exercising: Apparatus for Physical Culture, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to elastic ChGSlS-GX-l panders, developers, exercisers, and similar apparatus for physical culture; and the ob-: jects of my invention are to construct such apparatus in such a manner as to enable a chest-expander to be instantly attached to a rubber cable or spring-exerciser to form a} complete body-developer, to enable the chestexpander to be varied in strength at the will of the user, to preventthe various parts of thel apparatus from becoming detached from one another while in use.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows apparatus complete and attached to a door ready for use as a complete developer. Fig. 2 shows the chest-expander portion of the apparatus to an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the hooks used for attaching the various portions of the apparatus to each other. Fig. t-is side view of same. Fig. 5 shows a chest-expander, which may also be used on wall or door as an exerciser or developer for women and youths. Fig. 6 is back view of an alternative form of hook. Fig. 7 is side view of same. Fig. 8 is plan of same.

The same letters denote the same parts in all the figures.

Now according to this invention I provide a chest-expander (shown by Figs. 1 .and 2) consisting of three, five, or seven (but preferably five) elastic cables, which may be stranded and cotton-covered india-rubber cables or helical steel springs a a a a a, and are hereinafter called elastic cables. Each elastic cable has an eye at each end to receivethe hook b. The books 6 engage with loops 0 in the handles d. The handles d are made of wire and are furnished with grips f of wood The handles (Z are also provided with loops 7 g at each end of the grips.

If the chest-expander as made with five elastic cables 1s too strong, the center elastic .cable or the three middle elastic cables may be instantly removed.

he elasticcables h It, used with the chestexpander to form a complete developer, are provided with handles Z? at one end and with hooks 6 at the other end.

The elastic cables in it are rove through pulleys Z Z, which are attached to the top panel of a door m or to a wall or partition or other suitable support by books a, and one of the handles of the chest-exrmnder is attached by means of hooks to the bottom of the door m, or other support.

In the drawings the pulleys Z Z are shown attached to a looped wire 0, which wire is attached to the door at by means of hooks w- The apparatus is then ready for use as a complete developer.

When required for use as a chest-expander, the elastic cables it 71, are detached from the expander, which is then used in the ordinary way.

The chest-expander (shown by Fig. 5) corn sists of one piece of elastic cable 12 and is made as follows: Three hooks 7) Z) Z) are threaded onto the elastic cable. Eyes are then formed at each end of the elastic cable in the usual Way, each eyehavingahook therein, as shown. The elastic cable p is then doubled and whipped round to form a third eye, which also contains a hook. Two handles 7:: l: are also provided, which engage with the hooks Z) I) b. As shown, the appliance is ready for use as a chest-expander, and in order to use it as an exerciser the handle is detached from the eye at the center of the elastic cable and a handle A: attached to each end of the said cable p. The hook at the center of the elastic cable is then attached to a hook or to an eye secured in a door, wall,

become detached when in use, and if the release occurs when the elastic cables are extended a very nasty and dangerous blow is apt to be given by the detached hook on the sudden contraction of the said cable, the said blow often taking efi'ect on the users face and being liable to cause blindness. The helical or volute hooks forming part of this invention entirely obviate this danger, as they cannot possibly become detached while the apparatus is in use. These hooks are shown in detail by Figs. 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8. As shown by Figs. 3 and 4, the hooks are formed from a single piece of wire coiled to form a loop 7* to receive the elastic cable, the hook I) being helical or volute, so that it has to be rotated in order to engage it with or disengage it from the loops in thehandles, or the hook may be partly rotated and partly sprung into the loops. When using this form of the hook, the eyes in the elastic cables may be fitted with thimbles, if desired.

As an alternative the hook b may be made integral with a conical socket s to receive the end of the elastic cable, which is bound round with .wire or otherwise prepared to prevent it from being drawn out of the socket when in use.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination in an exercising apparatus of a number of elastic cables furnished with helical or volute hooks at each end,with handles having loops therein to receive said hooks, grips secured to said handles loops formed in the handles at each end of the grips, elastic cables rove through pulleys and attached at one end to the loops at the end of the grips of one of the handles of the chestexpander and to suitable handles at the other end as specified and for the purpose stated.

2. The combination in an exercising apparatus of a number of elastic cables furnished with helical or volute hooks at each end,with handles having loops therein to receive said hooks, grips secured to said handles, loops formed in the handles at each end of the grips, elastic cables rove through pulleys and attached at one end to the loops at the ends of the grips of one of the handles of the chestexpander and to suitable handles at the other end, and means for attaching the said pulleys and the other handles of the chest-expander to a suitable support all substantially as set forth.

3. In elastic exercising apparatus the handles 03 having loops 0 therein to receive the hooks b at the ends of the cables a and loops g at each end of the grips f for the purpose stated.

In testimony WhereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS BELVOIR. 

